16X9: A deeper look into the life of Terri-Lynne McClintic

FULL STORY: ROAD TO MURDER

It was one of the most heinous crimes – the abduction, rape and murder of eight year old Victoria Elizabeth Stafford. Michael Rafferty and Terri-Lynne McClintic both found guilty on all counts, now face a life sentence in prison.

Evidence in court revealed that Rafferty, 28, had a history of choking women during sex and 100s of images of child pornography were found on a laptop in his home.

But his partner in crime, 18 year old Terri-Lynne McClintic, had a much more troubled past.

Terri-Lynne was born to a stripper, who gave her away to a fellow stripper, Carol McClintic, to raise. Carol’s biological son agreed to talk to 16×9 on the condition of anonymity. He told 16×9 that Carol McClintic was a terrible role model for a child. “There was no parenting there was no I’m mom, this is my role this is your role, there was none of that,” he says.

Carol’s biological daughter, who calls herself Terri-Lynne’s sister, also agreed to talk to 16×9 on the condition of anonymity. She says she witnessed Terri-Lynne using drugs with her adopted mother, Carol.

“She was shooting oxys and percs,” she says.

The woman who calls herself Terri-Lynne’s sister told 16×9 Carol was an alcoholic and drug addict and got Terri-Lynne involved in that lifestyle. Family members say Terri-Lynne was also physically and sexually abused as a child.

“No question that physical and sexual abuse has a very direct physical impact on the brain, and of course has a psychological impact on the mind,” says Dr. Korenblum, a child psychiatrist at Toronto’s Hincks-Dellcrest Centre. “It’s a maxim in child psychiatry that abuse begets abuse. So when a child has been mistreated, maltreated, neglected, we know from studies that the risk of them becoming an abusing parent is elevated many many, many times.”

As a young child Terri-Lynne began showing signs of a troubled personality. She admitted in court to microwaving her dog until it screamed.

“You’re taught in psychiatry that there are a couple of red flags or markers for future violence towards people, and one of them is cruelty to animals,” says Dr. Korenblum.

A deeper look into the life of Terri-Lynne McClintic, reveals some clues to how she became a killer. And for the first time Terri-Lynne’s family is speaking out about her road to murder.